Day three of our 31 Days of Horror series brings us to the villains themselves, or at least a selection of them. With such a huge catalog of movies to choose from, there are a massive number of villains we could have included, but then we’d be here all day.
To be a really great horror villain, the character needs a few simple things; the desire and conviction to kill, a regular and iconic method of killing, and a kind of frightening look, be it a mask or a deformity. Here we take a look at some of the most terrifying and iconic horror villains.
pinhead
star of the hellraiser franchise, Pinhead is one of the Cenobites, and certainly the most iconic. If you ask anyone about the franchise, even if they haven’t seen a single entry there, they’ll know about Pinhead and the Lament Configuration, their fancy box basically.
Related: ‘Hellraiser’ Reboot Is Coming Earlier Than Expected, We’ve Got A Release Date And A First Look At Jamie Clayton’s Pinhead!
Jigsaw
It’s not often horror villains get killed off in their own franchises, but the Seen The franchise bucked this trend by having its main character killed off in the third of nine films. While still appearing in subsequent films via flashbacks and tapes, Jigsaw continued his “work” long after his death through his prior planning and with the help of his mortal apprentices.
Alex DeLarge
Anyone who hasn’t seen A clockwork orange must before you read on… Alex DeLarge is a psychopath, which makes him scarier than some of the supernatural entries you can find in horror movies. Anything he does could actually happen to you, or for all you know, someone you pass on the street could have solar pulses. It’s this realistic take on the extremes of human nature that makes the character terrifying on screen.
chucky
A serial killer inhabiting the body of a toy was unique for its time, partly because the idea of a small toy managing to kill with wanton abandon without being arrested is ridiculous, and partly because it is annoying to imagine that our children’s toys are murderous spirits.
ghost face
star of the Scream franchise, as well as parodied in horror movie, Ghostface is a character played by several people throughout the movies. Used as a mask to protect their identities and keep the audience guessing who the murderer is, Ghostface ends up being an amalgamation of gruesome and gruesome characters throughout the series.
Pennywise
Pennywise ranks pretty well for a number of reasons… he’s a clown, he’s a supernatural entity, and he preys primarily on children. All of these elements combined give us a visceral, intimidating, and downright humorous horror villain who seems to have fun with his murderous rampage every twenty-seven years he reappears.
Leatherface
A chainsaw wielding a human face carrying the giant of a man whose only motivation seems to be to murder as many people in the most gruesome way possible. What not to be afraid of? At each entry into the Texas Chainsaw franchise comes a more brutal and gory version of the iconic horror villain.
Hannibal Lecter
Another entry that is purely human. No supernatural strength, immortality or inability to speak, Lecter is a cannibal who finds politeness as important as his next meal. Just as well given that it “eats the gross”.
Freddy Kruger
star of the freddie franchise, Krueger is a long-dead pedophile who preys on his victims when they sleep. Unlike the others in this list, you can’t outrun Freddy, everyone needs sleep after all. Watching his murders unfold in the real world is also fascinating in a way, as we see the aftermath of his actions unfold in bloody and chilling ways.
Michael Myers
A victim of abuse, neglect and serious mental health issues, Michael Myers doesn’t stop with the murder of his sister in the first. He eventually settles on “the one who got away” in Laurie Strode, working his way through anyone who gets in his way to achieve his end goal.
Related: ‘The First That’s The Only One I Care About’ John Carpenter Disappoints Horror Fans Saying He’s Only Made More Halloween Movies ‘For The Paycheck’
Jason Voorhees
A staple of horror movies and the horror villains they contain is the villain’s steady and unstoppable progression in his mission to assassinate those he sees as his victims. A trait shared between our previous entry and Jason, the iconic star of the Friday 13 franchise, nothing seems to stop him, no matter how hard someone fights, he always rises and always wins… he also always ends up surviving for the next movie.
There are so many more horror villains we could have included, but we have to stop somewhere. What other villains would you have included? And which villains do you think don’t belong on this list?
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